1. Field of the Invention
This invention is concerned with a polyp or cell block collecting device. In particular, the present invention is a collecting device used with an endoscope.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In medical treatment, when an endoscopic examination and especially a colon fiberscopic examination is conducted, the biopsy, polypectomy, erasion and collecting of a polyp is done under an endoscope to determine whether the cancer exists or not.
When this is carried out, sometimes the polyp is sucked from a suction hole on the top of an endoscope. After the polyp is sucked, it is placed in a suction bottle in which an enema, stool or wash are collected. It can be very difficult to find the polyp among the other collected substances. One technique is to filter the collected substances with gauze. This is unsanitary and produces a bad odor. There is also some danger of contamination or infection from a virus. Polyps and tissues collected by this method can also be damaged or degenerated to such an extent that they cannot be used as an examination specimen.
With collecting instruments currently used during an endoscope examination, the endoscope is usually taken out of the human body each time one polyp is collected. The insertion of an endoscope to the colon is done from the anus. When it is easy, it takes ten minutes. However, when it is difficult, it takes more than two hours, accompanied by pain to the patient. The examination has to be conducted to determine whether the polyp is benign or malignant. For diseases accompanied by colon polyps located in many places, frequent insertion of an endoscope into a human body to collect these polyps results in great pain to a patient and takes a long time. It is evident, therefore, that there is a continuing need for improved polyp collecting devices.